Realauren89

See I told my husband there were two saunders books that I for sure wanted. Since I don't start the RN school until January, I just want to have some resource material to reinforce the different testing style. I took the NREMT about 6 years ago and remembered it was didactic, and had so much SATA on it, that required a lot of critical thinking skills, that honestly, it's been a while since I have seen a test question like that. Does the Saunders help to reinforce concepts and prepare you for you test in Nursing school?

And of course I have read, and read, and read, annnnd read, that most nursing students and graduates swear that using an nclex book to study was the best thing they have ever did. So before I throw roughly 80 bucks at amazon, I want some feed back. Of course it can't be a sole study guide, because you still have to read, you still have to study notes, but does it help prepare you for the nursing exams? I just want some good info on good resources that help to start preparing me to study, and I'm starting to get myself on schedule for it. P.S. I already purchased NCLEX RN Mastery on my phone, and have been looking over the mnemonics i could have used for all my anatomy classes.

The way my school works is you have 1 clinical day, 1 lab day, 2 lecture days. From what I have been told you have clinicals only 5 days a semester for 12 hours. Alot of that down time is for you to be in the lab, making sure you know your checkoffs and studying. It's not unheard of to have a Test Monday, a Check off Tuesday, a lab wednesday and a clinical thursday. Nursing school is like cram school on crack.

(Note to admin, this is a double post, since I noticed I dropped this in the wrong forum) No one really prepares you for the absolute panic that is waiting for your acceptance or denial letter from your school. NO ONE! My birthday was the 2nd, and I got my denial letter, and I'm pretty sure the world ripped itself apart, then formed again. I literally spent my birthday drowning myself in my pillows sobbing like my two year old when I tell her that she can't have any more cookies. No one prepares you for that heartache. Ever. I took a 5 year break from college, because I was so strung out on drugs as a freshman that honestly my gpa was abysmal. I came back, I busted out 3.75 each semester, made a 4.0 last semester, and I felt like all my hard work was just dashed to the wind. Then, something insane happened. My school posted an infographic on the amount of applications they received and what the lowest points they took. We had 423 applications for the Spring 2016 class. With 15 duplicate applications there were 408 actual applicants and 209 that were qualified for the nursing program. The qualified applicants had points that ranged from 104 points to 37 points. We accepted 83 students with 81 as the cut off point for acceptance. The reading ACT was the tie-breaker for the students with 81 points. I read this and had a miniature heart attack. I had 81 points, I had a 30 reading ACT score. I was even more upset. I missed it by an ACT reading score. So I cried to my best friend who is a pharmacist. She told me to suck up my pride and inquire about my points, my standings and what I could do to up my chances for next semester. I am so thankful that she did. I emailed the director of the program. She emailed me back immediately and told me that they had me down as 76 points with a gpa of 2.1. The pterodactyl sounds that escaped my lips between reading that email out loud to my friend was deafening. My best friend, her dad, and myself set down and recalculated not once, but 5 times my gpa according to the prerequisites and corequisites only to find out that was a terrible mistake, a TERRIBLE ONE. I had 81 points and a 30 ACT reading score. After my best friend took over emailing the Director of the Nursing School (thank God for her, I would have never gotten an email back) the Director sent me to the Admission/Clinical Advisor. I had to wait 24 hours for a grueling answer. Now, I wanna say, we all have this preconceived notion that Instructors are hardcore. Lemme tell you, this woman, who spent about 4 hours emailing me is the closest thing I have ever been to talking to an angel. No seriously. She calculated my GPA, it came back as 80 points. Then she noticed that one of the grades they had written down was wrong. She immediately emailed me profusely apologizing, and told me that I was accepted into the Nursing Program this Spring Semester because I had the highest ACT reading score of the 81's and wasn't even fairly calculated in the first place. She told me she looks forward to seeing me next semester and getting to know me and that this was the first time in her life she ever had an applicant question a denial letter. The moral of the story guys is: Always ask questions the admission teams, and instructors are human, they can make mistakes. Am I saying all denial letters are wrong? No. Am I saying emailing them to understand how to better your chances for the next time? Yes, lord yes. ALWAYS ask questions. The only reason I even contested my denial letter is because I calculated mine before hand, because I knew my gpa (calculated by hand) I knew my points and my standings. Always know that even when the crappy days come and you get a denial letter it is absolutely ok to cry yourself to sleep. No one in their right mind works hard in pre req and coreq classes to be denied. Just know there is always the next semester or year, and that in the mean time better you chances any way you can. I am so happy, that I am going into a program that has instructors like the one that helped me every single step of the way. I hope whoever reads this knows that you are not a number, you are a human being, and it's always ok to ball your eyes out, eat an entire cake, and stress over trying to get into nursing school. I'm with you in spirit. Much love, Rea.

I got my go ahead today! YAYAYAYAYAYAY. In case you wondered yes my pinterest board is scary for nursing. I have also mapped out my friends on facebook who are nurses and who is a nursing student cause I'm going to bug the mess out of them when I have questions. I'm just picked out my stethoscope, pen light, shears, watch, ect. I use my phone for a planner, but will probably invest in one of those expensive academic planners. Ahh, I'm so nervous to start. They change the books every semester at my school with more up to date knowledge. Since I was an EMT a few years back I'm thankfully up to date on my vaccines except my flu shot. I plan to take that this December, when I'm out of school. I have bugged everyone about nursing school, I've told everyone. Like a dang badge of honor. I'm also taking Microbiology this semester so it's chaos everywhere. IM SO HAPPY FOR US!

Google you states vaccine records. They are all available through your state (since 1994 all that information has been electronically been entered into a database) and they will mail you your vac records. I had to call Jackson to get mine, because let's face it. I don't have a 121 form lying around at any given time on my 26 year old self. On another note: When you get your physical done tell you doc you need your tieters done, and he will order them up. Also check your local health department to get a tb vaccine and any ones you may need for far cheaper.

QUIZLET, search it for pictures of bones and their process, also a I used the lab manual on the bones and printed copies of it and just did it over and over again. Now for the lecture. READ THE BOOK. Find a tutor, I did better in Anatomy and Physiology 2 than I did in 1 (stupid nervous system that was 5 chapters long). Also our school implemented the learn smarts, those figgin things are amazing.

My end goal is CRNA, so trauma/er/ICU are my biggies. I was an emt so the trauma is my forte!

Our school only accepts 80 each semester. There is not part time only fulltime and you have to maintain at least 12 credit hours. Which is hog wash since I completed all mine. I guess I'll be taking organic chem and bull crap english classes the next two years. I'll know around my birthday if i was accepted. No later than November 1st. So I will keep you updated. The kaplan isn't horrible from what I have heard. There is a Kaplan prep book for like 20 bucks that people swear by.

Ours is a crazy point based system. The max is 122 the least is 58. I have a standing of 79. Which is the middle road. They changed it this year. It was once a&p 1 and 2 plus college algebra. Now it's a&p 1 and college algebra. Plus you had to take the Kaplan exam. Now it's just points. I'm so fracking nervous because if I'm denied I'll literally have to find classes to take. Ive taken everything pertinent to the associate's and even half the bachelor pre reqs. It's just frustrating. Our school only lets in 80 each semester. So it's nerve racking.

So this morning I put in my application for RN program at Northwest. This fall is my last semester of pre-reqs. Micro, Micro lab and College Algebra as well as filler courses for the associate's degree is on my list this semester. I'm so flipping nervous. Seriously they changed the admission protocol from the Kaplan to a point based system. If I can't get in for Spring 2016 I'll more than likely get in for Fall 2016. However the elephant in the room is waiting for the acceptance or denile letter. A month to go before I'll know. Anywho. Any advice of good filler courses in case im not accepted in spring 2016?